Drop it on Me
by ALC Punk
Summary: Kara gets an unexpected surprise from Dr. Cottle. She and Sam will have to deal with the consequances.


Disclaimer: not mine. Rating: er... 13ish.  
Pairing: Kara Thrace/Sam Anders Set: LYDB, this goes AU, however.  
Genre: fluff, AU Notes: Except for the beginning and ending paragraphs, and some editing here and there, ALL of this was written something like six months ago. I'm kind of disturbed that this is (mostly) no longer OOC (which was why I never really bothered to finish). This is, ah, very squishy fic. Title is from a Ricky Martin song, since none of my playlist was at all helpful. Y'can all thank familyarchives. I think the original blame for this fic can be laid at the door of, um, rhisilverflame. As always, no puppies were harmed in the creation of this piece of fiction. 

**_Drop it on Me_** by ALC Punk!

It had seemed like hours since the doctor had wandered off to get her test results. Kara kicked one foot out, then banged it against the side of the bed she was perched on. Really, it was just a slight bout of the flu or something. Maybe the food last night had been tainted--it wasn't like the food was all that great to begin with, either.

Luckily, for the bed, Cottle returned fairly shortly. He studied her, chewing on his cigarette, then informed her, "You're grounded, as of now, Captain."

"What? Doc, it's just a touch of flu. C'mon, I'm not even feverish." Kara reached up and touched her forehead to illustrate.

"No, what you are is pregnant."

"You're joking--Doc, I got the implant. There's no way--"

"Stress, bad eating habits, lack of sleep. These all effect the damned thing. It's not an exact science, Captain."

Starbuck slumped. Pregnant. This was so beyond the realm of what she was capable of-- "I'm a viper pilot, Doc, I can't take the time off to have a kid."

"You can now." He stubbed his cigarette out, "And there's nothing I can do about it, anyway."

"But you could. You could let me fly. Just, forget I was ever here." She was grasping at straws, almost panicking at the idea that she was carrying a child.

"Can't."

"Won't."

He shrugged, "I'm getting old, Captain. Go back to your quarters. And don't try to get back into a plane for eight months."

A baby. Frak.

Kara stumbled out of the infirmary and headed aimlessly through the ship. She didn't have anywhere to be. Even the CAG got time off, these days. With half of the crew already down on the planet, helping everyone to settle in, Galactica felt empty.

Eventually, she ended up in the empty mess hall. The weekly pyramid game that used to populate the room had been moved down to the planet, with most of Anders' crew gone.

He kept bugging her to at least let him go down and see how it was--bored, with nothing to do.

Now. Now there wouldn't be any reason not to.

Kara sucked in a breath, expecting to feel pain and anguish at not being able to fly, at being grounded.

It didn't come.

Oddly, she felt... as though this were right, in a way.

Yes, she would miss flying. It was in her blood, the one thing other than sex that gave her a sense of freedom. Except maybe playing pyramid, and she hadn't ever made it the way she'd thought she would.

"Hey."

Lee's voice pulled her from her thoughts, and she looked up with a smile. "Hey."

Grabbing the seat opposite her, he flopped down. "The mighty Galactica CAG, taking a break? Will wonders never cease?"

"Slumming, Apollo?" Kara mocked him, "Or did you just miss Dee?"

"Over for a conference among commanders." He replied as he stiffened slightly.

A conference that she hadn't been invited to. Kara figured it hadn't been the old man's decision to leave his CAG out of it. Still... "I'm moving down to New Caprica."

It was abrupt. And Kara realized she meant it, too.

"You're abandoning your post?" Lee sounded incredulous.

"I'm not abandoning anything, Lee. There is no post. There is no reason for me to be up here. Flying routine patrols and pushing paperwork accomplishes nothing. Down there... I might do some good."

"Oh, yeah, the great pilot Starbuck, mucking stables. That's progress right there."

Angered at his mockery, she stood, "Oh, frak you, Lee."

"We tried that already, remember?"

Clamping her lips closed on more curses, Kara turned and walked away. There was no winning in this situation. Whether Lee was lashing out because she was abandoning him, or because she was leaving Galactica, didn't matter. He was, as always, reacting like a spoiled brat whose favorite toy was being taken away.

Besides. She should really go tell Sam they were moving.

A crooked grin stretched across her lips. They were moving. And she was pregnant. It scared the crap out of her, terrified her that she'd do everything wrong.

Two corridors, three flights of stairs and she burst into the tiny shared quarters Tigh had reluctantly assigned to them (after one too many complaints from fellow pilots about their lack of privacy and frequent sex). "Hey."

Sam looked up from a stack of the paperwork she'd tricked him into doing. "What'd Doc Cottle say? You gonna die on me?"

"No, uh..." Now she was there, she couldn't quite bring herself to say the words aloud.

"What?" He jumped up, looking concerned and reached out to cup her face in his hands. "Whatever it is, Kara..."

Make it fast and quick, she decided. Kara sucked in a breath and blurted, "I'm pregnant."

And Sam just froze, staring at her in complete surprise.

Pulling out of his grasp, Kara crossed her arms. "I'll be off flight rotation for--"

Sam's loud whoop interrupted her words, then he grabbed her by the waist and swung her in the air.

"Whoa!" Kara grabbed at his shoulders. "Put me down, you idiot!"

He did, staring at her with an intensity that did something strange to her insides. "How long?"

"Eight months, or so." Biting her lip, Kara suddenly realized this whole idea still scared the crap out of her. Not to mention, a baby... This was so not what she wanted to do with her life, was it?

"Hey." He cupped her face again, "You'll be fine."

"Yeah, yeah, I will." Kara swallowed, then continued, trying for a lighter tone. "So, you wanna get married and move down to New Caprica?"

"What? But, you don't--"

"Sam. I can't fly. The fleet--" She sucked in a breath, because that hurt, too, "it doesn't need me. And if it does, then I just give you the baby and climb back in the cockpit."

"Married."

"Yeah. I mean, I've got to have some way of keeping my piece of ass from straying."

"Uh-huh. Your piece of ass." He bent his head and kissed her gently. "I'm not planning on going anywhere. I decided that a long time ago."

"So..."

"Yes."

"Great, um... Now I just have to let the old man know."

-

It wasn't something she was looking forward to, telling Admiral Adama she was leaving.. She'd be letting him down, abandoning him. Kara was half-tempted to turn around and tell Sam they were staying. But then they'd both be pointless people on a ship that didn't need them. She'd taken her time about going to tell him--for one thing, she hadn't wanted to run into Lee again. And there'd been a couple of hours where Sam showed her exactly how much he approved of being her piece of ass. She was far more relaxed than she had any right to be, in this sort of situation.

"Sir?" Kara knocked on the hatch, peering in to find the Admiral at his desk.

He looked up, "Come in."

"Sir, I, ah..."

"Apollo mentioned you're planning on leaving, Starbuck."

Tattle. But Kara wasn't a child anymore. She squared her shoulders. "I'm pregnant, sir. Doc Cottle's already grounded me. I won't be any good up here. And if I'm needed, I'm just a shuttle away. Sir."

"My first grandchild."

It wasn't the words she'd expected. "Sir?"

"Not biologically, of course. But emotionally." He looked her in the eye. "You get down there and you take care of yourself."

He wasn't angry. Kara found herself smiling, unable for a moment to think of anything to say. "Ah, sir, about my replacement."

"Who would you recommend as CAG?"

"If he hadn't already mustered out, Duck, sir. As it is..." Kara ran through the possibilities in her mind, quickly evaluating them for strategy, command, and intelligence. "Hot Dog, sir. He's got the chops, I think he might just need a little seasoning. Or Kat. She needs the seasoning, too."

"I'll make a note and sound them out."

Kara shifted under his gaze, feeling self-conscious. Then she grinned, "Also, sir, Sam and I are getting married. I'd like you to be there."

A look that might suspiciously have been a smile hovered around his lips and he reached out to touch her cheek. "Just tell me when, Kara." Then he tugged her close and hugged her.

Hugging him back, Kara felt a weight lift from her shoulders.

Maybe, in some way, starting her life anew would change her destiny for the better. And maybe it wouldn't. Kara left the Admiral to his paperwork and headed off to find Sam. If nothing else, she figured destiny could take a flying frak. She had better things to do--her boyfriend, for instance.

-f-


End file.
